Unfortunately, 3 - 4 times a week. I enjoy cooking but I ABSOLUTELY hate the clean up. Sometimes my husband will clean up but sometimes I will clean and he will bath the kids.

Hmm... What is your definition of "cooking?" If it's not take out, then I cook 6 times per week. If things that come from a box or a can do not count as actual cooking, then I would say about 2-3 times per week. It's a lot of work! Like Natalie said, planning what to cook takes up an enormous amount of time. It seems to work out ok for everyone in my clan. They're just happy that I don't subject them to "Tuna Surprise."

I love cooking, but don´t always have time for it and coming up with meals everyone will eat is a pain. I cook 5-7 nights a week, we almost never order in for dinner, but there are days when it´s just beans and tortillas . . . with scrambled eggs if I´m feeling good.

After a big spat the other day, my husband has offered to cook 3 nights a week, which is just fine by me! I did try making the meals ahead for a month and it was great! But I usually don´t do all the shopping necessary so it doesn´t get done (we don´t have a car for big loads).

I adore cooking. And I have to do it every day like it or not because my kids are gluten and dairy free. I cook at least 5-6 nights a week with number 7 being the kids cooking night, leftovers or super easy stuff.

Of course, hubby and I leave the kids at home with the teenager sometimes... she makes them dinner and we get to enjoy a restaurant.

We also menu plan... although I do it every two weeks as that is how often we do our big shopping trip (family of 7 here!). I totally agree that deciding what to make is the hardest part of cooking.

Oh and on the gratification side... we have employed a new policy at our house. When the kids ask to be excused... they also Thank the cook for the YUMMY meal.

With our large crew... sticking to a schedule is important... so dinner's on the table at 5:30 every day even if it's nuggets and tots.

We're trying very hard to eat out less now. I have two teenage girls and we homeschool so they've taken over the menu planning and cooking duties and boy has it helped! LOL - I was always shocked to look at the clock, see that it's 6pm and realize I didn't know what to serve for dinner. Now that doesn't happen! YAY!

And the fun side benefit is that when I finally do get to cook once in a while, I really enjoy it!

Cooking is my least favorite chore but unfortunately it is a necessity so I cook, 2 times a week.

TRADER JOE'S!!!!!

If you don't have this grocery store chain near you, maybe go to their website and email them and ask them to open one.

I buy a lot of prepared food there and shove is in the fridge/freezer, heat, and serve! I don't feel terribly guilty about this, as TJ's brand foods seem to leave out all those chemical-y ingredients that I can't pronounce. I like that I can look on the box of, say, their Italian Turkey Sausage Stromboli and the list of ingredients suggest that I could make the same thing with ingredients generally found in my own kitchen. They have a lot of organic prepared foods which are a bit pricier of course. In general I think their prices are good...although clearly prepared food is always pricier than if you made it from scratch.

Then, I buy a lot of fresh veggies - asparagus, broccoli, etc. - wash, cut, throw in microwave, add a bit of butter (come one...it's BROCCOLI, it's still good for you even with a little butter on it!) salt and pepper and there's my veggie side.

To break up the steamed veggie routine, I'll cut up some fruit instead....an apple is a fine side dish for dinner, I say.

I do what others here have suggested as well, and make something big on Sunday to have all week...a pot of chicken black bean chili, lasagna, bean casserole, etc.

Anyway, try Trader Joe's for quick dinner ideas if you have them in your area.

Everyday and 2-3 times per day on the weekends. Amen to all the comments about hating dishes...we don't have a dishwasher, blech!! I use savingdiner.com for meal planning and also have software called MasterCook. I love to cook and find it so rewarding when kids and hubby like what I make and it's good for them too - bonus bonus!!

I'm in the 3-4 times a week category. I go through phases of Loving it, making weekly menus, feeling organized, healthy, etc. then I go through the opposite where I loathe the kitchen and the chore of it all. DH does one day a week. we go out or order in 1-2 times a week.

I also do Let's Dish, one of the places where you go prep meals in advance and freeze them, that's been really great for our family.

my kids (5 and 7) are finally at the stage where they eat mostly what we do, so that's been a saver too. I still fling them the occasional nugget or mac and cheese, but not often.

I only cook about 2 days a week. That is the beauty of being married to a fireman. They eat dinner at the station atleast 3 days a week!